Picture Perfect
by suseagull04
Summary: Lonely Robin paints the woman of his dreams and she comes to life.
1. Chapter 1

Robin Locksley sat staring at a blank canvas. He was an amateur painter who loved to paint, but lately, he'd been lacking inspiration. It seemed that he had painted everything he possibly could, from the most picturesque landscapes to still life paintings. His best friend, John Little, who always enjoyed his paintings and told him that one day he would be the next Picasso, was begging him to come up with another masterpiece so he could hang it in his home or give it as a gift to someone. John's wife, Marian, enjoyed artwork, so John was always asking Robin to paint for her, and those pieces inevitably were hung throughout their home, an act which both embarrassed and pleased Robin.

The problem was, Robin didn't have many people in his life that he could use as inspiration for his artwork. He had never been married and had always wanted children, but feared he'd never be able to give them everything they wanted, so he had never adopted. Both of his parents had passed away in a car accident when he was only fourteen as well and he had no siblings, so he had no family. So although he enjoyed the company of others, he was lonely because he had no one special to share his life with. John and Marian were his only friends, and he never wanted to bother them often because he knew they enjoyed time spent together as much as their time with him.

Looking out onto the bustling street below, Robin decided to go for a walk. Surely, the avenues and alleys of his busy town would be enough to provide inspiration for his next painting. Grabbing a sketchpad and pencils, he walked out the door.

He started meandering through the town, trying to find a good vantage point from which to sketch whatever aspect of the scenery around him caught his eye. He settled at an outdoor table in the central square, one with a perfect view of the fountain that resided in the plaza's center.

The fountain was made of granite, a gift from a wealthy benefactor to the town many years ago. It had always fascinated Robin. Artist that he aspired to be, whether that was through words or pictures, he couldn't help admiring another artist's work, even if sculpting wasn't his preferred medium. A bottlenose dolphin leapt from the base of the fountain, streams of water flowing from its mouth and fins, creating ripples in the water below as children dipped their fingers in the fountain under the watchful eyes of their parents and guardians. While some smiled at the scene, others quickly hurried their children away, pulling out hand sanitizer for the younger generation's reluctant use.

Robin, like all the best artists, learned and worked best through observation. As he sat watching the square around him, he spotted a young boy who was perhaps eight years old running up to the fountain. The boy had brown hair and fair skin and was wearing a red sweatshirt and jeans, with tennis shoes that matched his sweatshirt exactly. As Robin watched, he took something, likely a coin, from his pocket, holding it in his hand. Robin watched the boy's profile as he held up the coin, which Robin now saw was silver, closed his eyes, and after a moment, tossed the coin into the fountain.

To Robin, it seemed as if the coin fell in slow motion, casting a blinding light as it caught the light of the sun when it spun in the air before falling into the rippling fountain below. It made a splash that caused the boy to laugh with delight, a joyous smile on his face that Robin couldn't help but envy. He wished that he was that happy again, full of a childlike innocence that the events of his life had stripped away from him long ago.

A moment later, Robin and the boy were both startled by the sudden sound of a woman, presumably the boy's mother, as she called, "Henry, time to go home!"

A woman walked up to where the boy, whose name was apparently Henry, was standing by the fountain's edge. Once he saw her, Robin found that he didn't have the strength to look away, even if he had wanted to.

The woman was dressed all in black, and the pristine appearance of her outfit spoke volumes about her that a casual observer normally couldn't determine from an outfit alone. However, to Robin her immaculate appearance told him that she was someone who always had her life under control, each day's activities planned precisely so that not one minute was wasted. She likely worked in an office, a nine to five job that left no room for creativity. It was quite possibly the polar opposite of Robin's occupation as a freelance writer: he could write whatever he wanted whenever he wanted.

Her hairstyle added to the assumption that she was a force to be reckoned with. The curls that fell just shy of her shoulders added to the impression that she was not someone who let her imagination run rampant. Robin imagined that she was also not someone he wanted to cross, her temper fiery once someone had managed to get on her bad side.

As she turned toward him, taking her son's hand, her face confirmed his last two hypotheses. Her guarded expression clearly stated that anyone who wanted to approach her had to work to earn her trust. The thin line of her mouth and her chocolate eyes had that same air of mystery about them, but layered beneath the mystery was a sadness so profound that Robin wanted to walk over to her, ignore all decorum, and take her in his arms, shielding her from the world and the cruelties it dealt out as easily as a hand of cards.

The realization that all that would likely get him was a fist in the stomach shook Robin out of his reverie. He shouldn't be staring at this woman and her son. If anyone caught him, they would think he was a stalker.

Even with that knowledge at the forefront of his mind, he couldn't stop staring at the woman and the child at her side. He noticed that every time her gaze focused on the young boy beside her, the dark-haired beauty's expression softened, and a smile appeared on her lips that Robin longed to kiss. Not only that, but he wanted to be the cause of as many of her smiles as possible from this moment forward.

To that end, he stood and started walking in their direction to introduce himself. However, a crowd of giggling teenage girls got in his way, and by the time he made his way past them, the pair that had held his attention not a moment before were gone.

Dismayed, Robin returned to his previous position, quickly opening his sketchbook and making an outline of the woman's figure, each curve engraved in his mind's eye as if she had carved it there herself.

"What are you working on, boy?" Granny, the owner of a nearby diner, asked as she walked up to him.

"See for yourself," Robin said as he turned the sketchpad toward her and leaned aside so she could look at his sketch of the woman who had captivated his attention.

"Why are you drawing a picture of Regina?" Granny asked protectively. Clearly, she was familiar with the woman who had captivated Robin from the moment he laid eyes on her. She also knew that Robin was a loner, so she was likely aware that Robin didn't know her. Just in case, he decided to clarify.

"I saw her with a little boy by the fountain earlier-" Robin started to explain, but Granny cut him off.

"So you decided to sketch her. I understand that, but be careful, Robin. That girl has been through enough without you adding to her worries. Life's given her enough demons as it is, no need for you to supplement them by stalking her."

"I'm not!" Robin protested. "I just- she just… fascinates me. The look in her eyes, that smile…" He trailed off, embarrassed by the inadequacy of his words. How could anyone sufficiently describe that woman through words, when visual artwork was so obviously the only way to do so to capture even a fraction of her beauty? A picture was worth a thousand words, after all, and this was one of the times where he felt that words couldn't do the woman he had seen justice.

"I'll say it again: be careful. She's not one of your paintings or stories, she's a human being, and deserves to be treated like one."

"Of course she does, I know that," Robin assured her. "I just… she just…"

"Mesmerizes you?" Granny asked. When Robin nodded, she continued. "Then do her a favor and stop while you're ahead. I'm guessing you didn't even know her name before I told you what it is."

Robin shook his head, confirming Granny's suspicion.

"Then do both of you a favor and don't go near her."

Robin nodded and told her he wouldn't. But as he walked back to his apartment, he thought of nothing but possible ways to meet her.

That night, he fell asleep with only the image of the woman he had seen by the fountain in his head, her elusive smile the last thing he saw before he fell asleep.

After work the next day, Robin started working on his painting almost immediately. He returned to the plaza, bringing his paintbrushes, an easel, and a blank canvas. For a week he sat at the same table he had occupied on the day when he had seen the woman who now occupied both his waking moments and his dreams and painted her as he remembered her: a vision in black, not a single hair out of place, the sweet smile she had reserved for the boy on her lips. Initially he debated about the background of the piece, but he decided not to paint her in the plaza as he had seen her, but set her against a background full of faded color, red, yellow, and blue, as a contrast to the darkness of her hair, eyes and clothing.

By the end of a long week where he had worked harder than he ever had in his life, his masterpiece, the painting of Regina, was complete. He put the finishing touches on the canvas in the dying light of a vibrant sunset, then walked over to the fountain, fishing a coin out of his pocket and holding it up just as the little boy he had seen with Regina (Henry, he thought his name was) had done just days before. Looking down at the painting, he closed his eyes and made a wish that this stunning woman, the woman that filled his mind while he was both awake and asleep, would somehow be his someday.

The coin he held left his hand, moving as if in slow motion as it spun in the air and landed face-up on the granite floor of the fountain with a splash.

That splash alerted Robin to the fact that he wasn't alone. People, especially children, surrounded him, talking and laughing while he stood holding what he thought was his finest work. But only time would tell if it was in fact his best painting, as John was arriving at his house the following day to look at the painting he had been working on for the past week, curious as always about his friend's work.

With one last glance at what he thought was his best painting by far, Robin packed up his supplies and headed home. Once there, he set the painting in the place of honor reserved for the pieces he showed anyone who asked about his hobby. Shortly after that, he went to sleep, once again dreaming of the woman he had seen by the fountain, Regina. In research for his piece, he had discovered that her name meant "queen," and she seemed to truly fit her name, in every way. He just hoped he had the chance to tell her that one day in a way that wouldn't alarm her.

As he slept, in his studio, the air around the painting began to shift. Clouds of mist the same colors as the painting's background swirled around the painting, filling the room until nothing could be seen.

Out of the mist stepped a figure who immediately started exploring the room around her, waiting to be found by her creator.


	2. Chapter 2

Robin woke to warm breath on his face. Startled, he opened his eyes to see none other than Regina staring at him.

"Wh-What are you doing here?" he gasped.

"Talking to my creator, of course," she replied, a radiant smile on her lips.

"Your… creator," Robin replied slowly. Clearly, this was not the Regina he had seen who had inspired his painting.

Was it possible that she was the woman from his painting? Her words indicated that this was the case, but Robin found this hard to believe. He was, after all, not a character in a fairy tale, but a person living in the real world, a world where magic did not exist….

Or did it? His eyes and ears told him that he was listening to and looking at a real woman, made of flesh and blood. Was it possible that she had come from the painting? If so, how? Why? If she had, what had happened to the painting? Was the picture of this woman still intact, or had the beautiful woman standing before him literally stepped off of the canvas and into his life?

Determined to discover the answers to his questions, Robin got out of bed and was followed to his studio by the woman who looked so much like Regina.

There it stood, his masterpiece that had apparently come to life. The painting remained intact, but as he looked, he noticed subtle differences, mainly that the eyes of the woman in the painting didn't sparkle with life as much as they once had, and her smile did not hold the same warmth.

He looked up at the dark-haired beauty next to him- Roni, he decided he would call her. It was close enough to Regina that it fit, but if he called her Regina, he would get confused between what was reality and someone who couldn't be real- could she?

"See?" she asked, smiling at him. "I really am here."

"But how?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. All I know is that I arrived in this room last night, and started exploring my surroundings, which is how I found you."

"Do you have a name?" he asked. He didn't want to start calling her Roni if that wasn't her preference. No matter how she had come to be, she deserved a say in her own name.

A small frown darkened her features as she contemplated the answer to his question. "I… don't know. Is that strange? I was hoping you would tell me."

"Not at all," he assured her. "And if it is, it isn't your fault. Do you mind if I call you Roni?"

She shook her head. "Roni," she mused. "I like it. Yes. You can call me Roni."

He nodded, confidence surfacing now that they had gotten past the most difficult hurdles. "Well, Roni, welcome to my home. It's not much, but I do have a room for you."

"Never mind that, what things can I do for you?" she asked, peering up at him with a desire to please in her eyes. "A busy man like you surely needs to relax every once in awhile. Let me take care of you. I can cook, clean… whatever you want, it's yours."

He smiled down at her, a good six inches between their heights. "You're welcome to help around the house, but I want to help you, too. So how can I do that?"

She pondered the question for a moment, her warm brown eyes intelligent. "I want to find my place in the world. What I'm meant to do. Really, that's all I want. I thought it was here, helping you, but-"

"It might be here," he hurriedly reassured her. "We don't know yet. However, while we figure out where you belong and what you were born to do, you're welcome to stay here. There's plenty of space and you won't need to pay anything, it's the ideal place to stay until you have a better idea of your purpose here."

"Okay," she agreed. Her face brightened, and Robin knew if she had been Roland's age, she would have been rubbing her hands together in anticipation. "So what do we do first?"

"First, we need to make and eat breakfast," Robin told her.

She nodded. "I can do that! Lead the way- I just realized, I don't know your name."

"Robin," he replied rapidly. "It's Robin. Sorry about that, I should've introduced myself long ago. I guess I've been a little… distracted."

Her soft brown eyes reminded him of just why he had been so distracted that he forgot all propriety, and he quickly turned and walked to the kitchen, hearing her follow behind him.

Robin quickly discovered that as his first impression of her had indicated, Roni was an innocent dove, a dove who, despite her willingness to help him in the kitchen, needed guidance there and in all areas of daily living. He showed her how to make an omelet, and she quickly caught on, her eyes shining with the satisfaction of learning something new. Despite her inexperience, she was a natural, flipping the omelet like a head chef who had been doing it for years. Robin made a mental note to teach her to cook more recipes- she had picked up this one rapidly enough that with a little more practice, he thought she would be able to look for a job as a cook at any of the restaurants in town.

He told her to remain in the apartment while he was at work and showed her where she could find a lunch of chicken salad and how to make it, then went to work.

Hours later, Robin was exhilarated. Although he didn't like his boss, he had just written an article for him on a local sports game where their town's two rival high schools had played against each other. On his way home, he stopped by the library to check out cookbooks for Roni so he could teach her how to cook and bake. As he browsed the titles, he didn't realize how consumed he was in his task until he was knocked off his feet, books flying everywhere as he braced himself with his hands, trying not to sustain any injuries from the fall.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, can I help you?" a melodious voice asked. An olive-toned hand reached for his as his head snapped up. He would know that voice anywhere. In fact, he had just heard that voice this morning.

Sure enough, his eyes met the gaze of Regina, the woman who had stolen into his thoughts and dreams and turned his world upside-down the day he had spotted her with her son at the fountain.

"Re-" he began, then stopped. If he called her by name, she would know that he had been asking about her, and the last thing he wanted was to scare her off, so he held his tongue. Instead, he reciprocated her question: "Are you all right, milady?"

She nodded briskly, bending to collect the books that had fallen on the floor.

"Here, let me help you," Robin offered, gathering books in his arms and standing to face her.

She snatched them back from him. "I could've gotten them myself, I'm not some damsel in distress waiting for a prince to rescue her from something as simple as dropping books."

Robin couldn't hold back the chuckle and grin that escaped him. From one look at her, he had instantly known that she was not someone to be crossed, that she was strong, fiercely independent to a fault. And judging by that sentence, his initial assessment of her couldn't have been more right.

"What's so funny? Are you laughing at the clumsy librarian why apparently can't go a day without colliding with someone and dropping an armful of books?"

"No, not at all," he reassured her. "You just seem like a woman who is very independent, that's all."

"You're right, I am," she affirmed. "So if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of work to do."

"Wait," he stopped her, reaching out a hand to grasp her arm. "What's your name?" Even though he knew it already, he wanted her to willingly share that knowledge with him and learn his name in return. Suddenly, the thought of hearing his name in that alto voice of hers filled him with a longing that left him desperate to hear his name fall from her lips.

"You asked for my name, but if you want my name so badly, why don't you give me your name first?" she snapped back.

Robin couldn't resist grinning, holding in his laughter. She was a spitfire, fierce, and it showed in everything she had said to him so far.

"Robin, Robin Locksley," he answered swiftly. "And yours, milady?"

"'Milady'? Do you work at Medieval Times or a Renaissance festival or something? Do I need to help you find books on that era? Because they're not here, they're a couple rows over."

He denied her claim with a shake of his head. "It's just my way of showing you I respect you- and you haven't given me your name yet," he reminded her, "so what else am I going to call you? Would you prefer that I call you something that's more derogatory?"

"Of course not!" she refuted rapidly, shuddering.

"Well then?" he prompted, awaiting her answer. He couldn't wait to hear her say her name.

"Regina Mills," she finally told him, holding out her hand for him to shake. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Robin answered, taking her hand.

The moment their hands met, an unknown force hit Robin so strongly that his eyes flew to hers from where they had previously been focused on their hands. It seemed that an irreversible bond had been forged between them. Not only that, but her hand seemed to fit perfectly in his, as if it had been made to slip into his like a glove custom-made for her hand alone. Robin hadn't thought he believed in soulmates, but the fact that he had been drawn to her from the moment he laid eyes on her and the shockwave that had hit him the moment their hands met proved otherwise. Maybe he did believe in soul mates after all, and would believe in them from this moment forward.

At that precise moment, a female voice interrupted them. "Regina, get back to work. I need your help with something."

The force that had seemingly held both of them spellbound broke as Regina seemed to snap out of a trance. Shaking her head, she turned to the intruder, a formidable woman in a blue dress, her hair pulled back into an austere bun. "Sure, Ms. Blue. What do you need?"

The woman brandished a pile of papers at Regina, who caught them. "We need to pick up the pace on weeding, we've fallen behind. So I need you to stop loitering and get back to work."

Robin saw Regina sigh and glance longingly at the entrance. "One moment, Ms. Blue, then I'll pull those books off the shelves."

"Not one more minute. Now," the woman ordered, walking away briskly, seemingly confident that her orders would be followed without contestation.

A silence fell between them that Robin knew could quickly become a long one, so he hurriedly filled it. "Your name is beautiful. Did you know that it means 'queen'? Between that and what I know of your personality so far, I'm sure that you could run this place better than she seems to."

She shuddered, seemingly involuntarily, and he knew that there was a story that she associated with being a queen that she didn't want to relive. "Don't remind me, I hate my name," she admitted. "Besides, no one argues with Ms. Blue and lives to tell the tale."

He was dying to ask why, but didn't think she would tell him. So instead he reassured her, "Don't hate it, it's beautiful. It suits you, too, if our interaction today is anything to go by." He was telling her the truth. Everything about her was regal, from the way she carried herself to every word she spoke.

Something in her seemed to snap, and suddenly she was all business again. "Well, sometimes appearances can be deceiving. After all, you don't know if I'm a good queen or an evil one."

"You? Evil?" he questioned. "That seems to be a bit of an overstatement. Bold and audacious? Perhaps. But not evil."

"Well, I guess you'll never know," she cautioned. "And I don't let just anyone do that, you have to earn it."

"Any hints on accomplishing that arduous task, milady?" he queried, winking.

Her lips pursed at his use of the endearment, but he could see the hint of amusement in her eyes, so he knew he shouldn't back down. Although her moniker might suggest that she would char anyone to a crisp if she felt the situation called for it, he had a sneaking suspicion that she was enjoying their banter as much as he was.

She shook her head. "Nope. Guess you'll just have to find out all on your own. Now what did you actually come here for? Because I have a feeling that it wasn't to flirt with me. So what can I help you find?"

"Already found it," he answered, gesturing to the shelves around them. "Cookbooks. I'm teaching a... friend how to cook."

"Oh," she responded. "Are you an expert? There must be a reason this friend is coming to you for help."

"I'm all right," he admitted humbly after a moment of thought. "But the main reason is that she's new in town, so she doesn't have anyone else to turn to."

"Send her my way, I make a mean lasagna and apple turnovers," she bragged.

Robin laughed, picturing how disastrous that scene would be. "Maybe. If my instruction isn't adequate, I just might take you up on that… but that requires having your number first."

"Smooth…" Regina began as Robin glanced at her hopefully, "but not smooth enough. What makes you think I would give my number to a complete stranger? You could be a serial killer, for all I know. Besides, you know where to find me now, so you don't need it."

Robin was torn between groaning with frustration and chuckling. This woman was certainly determined to keep him on his toes. "Fair point. I guess you'll just have to take a leap of faith. Unless you want me to come in here every day… but why do I get the feeling that if I do that, you'll think I'm a stalker?"

"It is tempting…" Regina mused. "But because we had this conversation, maybe I wouldn't. Maybe."

"You don't sound so sure about that," Robin pointed out, a twinkle in his eye.

She shook her head. "No, I am. Unless there's a reason for me not to be?"

"No, no," Robin rapidly reassured her, "Not at all."

"Well then, I guess I'll be seeing you," she said as a farewell as she walked away. Robin couldn't resist watching the sway of her hips as she retreated, her sensuality immediately apparent from the movement.

"Yes," Robin answered softly, a moment too late, "Yes, you will." It was as much an answer to her statement as a promise to himself. Regina fascinated him like no other woman ever had. He knew he wouldn't rest until he knew everything about her.

Robin returned home to find Roni sitting on the couch reading a magazine that had been laying on the coffee table.

He breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't considered the thought before, but now that the concept was forefront in his mind, he was pleased that he wouldn't have to teach her to read and cook simultaneously. Apparently when he had drawn Regina's intelligence into Roni's eyes, that intelligence had manifested itself in her doppelganger.

"Anything interesting?" he asked. He knew he didn't keep many magazines around, they only created clutter that he needed to clean up, but maybe a different, female perspective would shed light on a diamond in the rough that he had missed with his initial cursory glance.

"I did find something interesting, actually," she informed him. "Did you know that you already have recipes here? You didn't need to go get some from somewhere else."

"Really?" Robin asked, doubting her words. Maybe Mulan had slipped a cooking magazine into the pile one day.

"Really," she confirmed, holding the cover out for his inspection.

Robin laughed. It appeared that Mulan had indeed slipped a cooking magazine into the pile of art and travel magazines. Maybe she was trying to send him a message that he was by no means the world's greatest cook- or that he needed to expand his repertoire of recipes, one or the other.

"What's so funny?" Roni inquired, a frown marring her otherwise beautiful features.

"Don't worry, it's not you," Robin hurriedly explained. "My friend put that cooking magazine into the pile of art and travel magazines, and I think she either put it there to tell me I need to be a better cook, or choose different recipes- I'm just not sure which message she was trying to send."

"Oh," Roni said quietly. She suddenly had a worried look. "Does that mean I shouldn't be trusting you to teach me how to cook? Should I be seeking out this friend of yours?"

"No, no," Robin laughed. "Really, she has no room to brag, she dislikes cooking with a passion, and only does it out of necessity. Although…" He debated about telling Roni about Regina's offer. He knew it would be a terrible idea if the two women came face-to-face, but would Roni see the wisdom in that thought process, or would she want to meet the woman who had inspired him to paint her so much that she would take desperate measures to find her?

Robin knew that seeing someone who appeared to be their identical twin would cause anyone to react without putting any thought behind their words and actions. Given how guarded Regina was, and how he was desperately trying to persuade her to lower her walls around him, he knew he couldn't allow Roni and Regina to meet. Regina would immediately run away, never to speak to him or even look his way again. Above all else, he was most adamant about preventing that scenario.

Cautiously, he began, "There is someone who is an excellent cook- or so she claims, I haven't sampled food she's prepared for myself."

"Then she can help me learn!" Roni exclaimed.

"Well, actually… that's not the best idea," Robin cautioned. "You know I painted you, and that's how you were created, right?"

"Of course," she responded. "How could I forget?"

"Well, I painted you after seeing someone who looks exactly like you. And normally, not only do paintings not come to life, but those paintings don't look like other people. So although Regina offered to help me teach you how to cook, can you comprehend why it might not be the best idea for you to meet her?"

"Oh," Roni answered quietly. "Yes. Yes, I can. I would scare her, right?"

"To say the least," Robin confirmed. "So unless we absolutely must seek her help, we're going to avoid it for now, all right?"

She began to incline her head, then seemed to change her mind. "Robin, what if I-"

"No," he interrupted her, silencing her with his words and a hand on her slender shoulder. "It really is for the best, I promise."

"Okay, I'll make sure I stay away from her," she relented. "And to make up for trying to meet her, I'll make you a delicious dinner tonight."

"You mean you'll help me," Robin corrected gently. "After all, the whole reason I met Regina was because I was getting cookbooks for us."

But Roni had been right, she really did make the dinner, all he did was assist her. She had a knack of knowing measurements and adding just the right spice to enhance a recipe that left Robin in awe. How had he thought that this woman needed to learn how to cook? It seemed to be ingrained in her soul- and maybe it was, Robin mused, considering Regina was a cook as well. Maybe she had dreamed of being a cook one day and while she had never been able to fulfill that dream, it was manifesting itself in Roni.

Robin mulled over these thoughts as he fell asleep that night. Despite Roni's insistence that she didn't want to take advantage of his hospitality and offered to find a room in a hotel, he hadn't listened to a word she'd said, instead insisting that she took advantage of the spare room that, despite his lack of visitors, he always kept ready in case someone wanted to visit.

As they had said good night, she had stood on the tips of her toes, looking like she wanted to kiss him. He rapidly turned away, so that her lips pressed against his cheek. He had to keep reminding himself that, despite the fact that she appeared to be real, as proven by the very real feeling of her lips on his cheek and her hand as his had brushed against it as he taught her how to cook, she had once been a figment of his imagination brought to life by paint and canvas and some still-unknown brand of magic. He knew it would be unwise to let her charms lull him into thinking that he could be happy with her for the rest of his life… but the more time he spent with her, the more he hoped that one day, fantasy would become reality and Roni's lips would be Regina's, navigating with him through sensations that were beyond his wildest dreams.


	3. Chapter 3

**This Inspired by OQ entry was inspired by GlindaLoveShoes's amazing color by numbers (found here) from OQ Prompt Party 2019!**

Despite his fears, Roni didn't disappear on Robin overnight. Nor did she disappear the next day. In fact, he was still enjoying her company a week after her arrival in his life, and was starting to get used to the idea that whatever force had brought her to him was a permanent arrangement. Unlike Cinderella, he was beginning to believe that Roni wouldn't disappear at midnight, leaving only memories and a fragment of her clothing behind for him to cling to as he reminisced.

In the week that Roni had been with him, she had greatly improved her cooking prowess. She had mastered every recipe that Robin presented her with so rapidly that he knew it was time for her to take advantage of her talent and use it to earn a living.

A few days ago, he had been certain enough of her presence that he took her around the town to show her the secret alleyways and roads that made up the place where he lived. He had purchased a map for her to help her learn, but just like with cooking, she swiftly learned how to navigate the town. Maybe she had an innate ability to follow directions that allowed her to master both of the challenges he had presented her with thus far.

Today was a Friday, and Robin was jubilant because he would have the rare opportunity to spend the weekend with Roland, John and Marian's son, an occasion that only occurred every so often. He always offered to watch his godson for them so the couple had time to themselves. This resulted in him watching Roland for a day or two approximately once a month, which Robin felt was far too infrequent. The boy's interests changed so drastically over that time that Robin feared he wouldn't even know him soon.

The minute Roland was in his car when he picked him up from kindergarten, he was babbling animatedly about something that had happened in school that day. Robin listened, determined to know as much as possible about the day-to-day happenings of kindergarten.

"So then August started juggling the oranges while he sang the circus song, and everyone was laughing until Mrs. Nolan took the oranges away. It was so funny!" Roland declared, his head nodding so quickly that his brown curls, so like Marian's, bounced.

"That does sound funny," Robin indulged him with a smile. "What do you want to do with me this weekend, Roland?"

"Eat ice cream and pizza and go to the park!" the little boy exclaimed immediately.

Robin laughed. As with many children, both foods were Roland's favorites, so of course he would want these delicacies while he wasn't around his mother, who encouraged him to eat healthy foods much more than Robin did. "I can promise pizza and the park, but we'll see about the ice cream. Can you promise me you'll be good? If you're good all day tomorrow, we'll get some ice cream."

"Okay, I promise!" Roland declared.

With that settled, Robin and Roland arrived at Robin's house. They did order pizza, then played games until it was time for Roland to go to bed.

Just as Roland was being tucked in, Robin heard the sound of his front door opening. Roni had been out looking for jobs, and apparently had only just remembered to come home. It was surprising, as most nights she was adamant about cooking a nice dinner either with him or, as her talent developed, for him. But apparently other matters had taken precedence that evening, and Robin hoped that meant that she had found a job, or at the very least had acquired an interview.

"Who's that?" Roland asked sleepily.

"Shh, Roland, it's all right. It's just my friend, you'll meet her tomorrow," Robin promised.

With the innate trust that only a child could have, Roland murmured, "Okay," as he closed his eyes, sleep overtaking him at last.

Robin walked out to the living room, where he found Roni sitting on the couch. "How'd it go?" he asked gently. He knew how hard the job market could be, especially for someone as delicate as Roni.

She sighed. "We'll see. I applied to so many, but none of them seemed to want to interview me." Tears welled up in her eyes. "It's me, it has to be. I have no job skills or references, so no one will hire me. Every single one of them has asked for those things, and I don't know what to say."

Robin took her hands in his. "Don't worry about it. Everyone struggles with finding a job, you aren't the only one. It took me years to find the perfect job writing for the paper. But now I have a job I love, and I'm sure we'll find one for you too. Your cooking prowess speaks for itself, and I'm sure that in time, someone will notice it and want to snap you up before any other company or restaurant can claim you."

"Are you sure?" she asked, her childlike dependence on his opinion reminding him of Roland.

He nodded. "Positive."

They stayed like that for a few more minutes, and as he held her, Robin couldn't help wondering what it would be like to hold Regina this way. As promised, he had visited the library every day, and although she hadn't been working when he stopped by today, he had clearly earned himself a reputation for trying to earn her trust, because the librarian he had talked to had known exactly who he was looking for and why before he had even uttered a sound. He hoped that meant that he was getting to her in a good way, and that eventually, she would open up to him. Only time would tell, and in the meantime, particularly this weekend, he had more than he could manage with Roland and Roni for company.

With that thought, he bid Roni good night, making sure every light was turned off before he went to his room.

The next morning, Robin was woken by a blinding light and hands frantically shaking his shoulders. He opened his eyes to find Roland staring at him, a panicked expression on his face. "Uncle Robin, wake up, wake up! There's a strange lady here!"

Robin smiled, knowing that Roni and Roland had met. "She's not a strange lady, Roland, she's my friend, Miss Roni. Didn't she introduce herself?" He had reinforced the importance of this courtesy before Roland had arrived, knowing that he would be having this experience or worse if Roland didn't know who Roni was. Apparently, his words had fallen on deaf ears.

"Yes, but she's still a stranger," Roland protested, hopping in bed with his godfather and cuddling close to him.

Robin sighed. Evidently, Marian had instilled the concept of "stranger danger" in her son a little too well. He would have to assuage his godson's fears then introduce them, so that he wouldn't fear Roni anymore.

Robin couldn't help chuckling. How anyone but a child could fear Roni was a mystery to him. She was so sweet and innocent that it was impossible to be afraid of her for even a moment. Unlike her double, she wouldn't even harm a fly in any way, shape, or form, and in fact, would likely not even contemplate the possibility that his godson could be afraid around her, and with good reason.

"What's funny, Uncle Robin?" Roland inquired.

Robin hesitated, answering the little boy carefully. "Miss Roni is so sweet that I can't imagine her hurting anyone, least of all someone as handsome and charming as you. I understand why you were afraid of a stranger, and it's good to be careful around strangers sometimes so you can stay safe, but this stranger is Uncle Robin's friend. You don't need to be afraid of her."

"Really?" Roland asked, uncertainty darkening his expression, still unsure if he could trust his godfather on this very important issue.

"Really," Robin replied, taking the boy's hand and leading him out of the room. "Come on, I'll introduce you properly."

He steered Roland into the kitchen, where Roni was already preparing breakfast. Under his gentle guidance, Roland overcame his fear of Roni, so much so that at the breakfast table, he asked her shyly, "Where did you come from, Miss Roni?"

Roni turned rapidly to Robin, clearly unsure of what to say. He had warned her not to tell anyone of her true origins, but it was evident that she didn't know if that warning applied to his godson. He nodded with a smile, hoping that she would get the message that it was all right to tell him the truth.

"Here," Roni answered, standing up and offering her hand to Roland. "Let me show you."

Robin followed them to his studio, then to the corner where Roni's portrait was displayed.

Roland's eyes grew wide, so big that they seemed too large for their sockets. "You drew her and she came to life, Uncle Robin?" he asked, his voice and gaze filled with wonder befitting a boy his age.

Robin nodded, smiling down at his godson. "I did."

He crouched down to look Roland in the eye. "But we can't tell anyone else that that's how I met Ms. Roni, all right?"

"Why not?" Roland asked, his brows furrowing with confusion.

"Because it's unlikely that anyone will believe that I drew her and she came to life. I know you believe in fairy tales, but a lot of adults- like Mama- don't." Robin gently explained.

"But Mama does believe in fairy tales!" Roland insisted. "She always says so!"

"Well, yes, in books, but it might be a bit of a shock to her that one is here," Robin rushed to explain, covering his tracks. Of course Marian had told Roland that she believed in fairy tales. Roland was at an age when it was likely that neither of his parents wanted him to lose his imagination. But he knew that Marian was practical, and would immediately deny Roland's claim that Roni had come to life.

"Okay Uncle Robin!" Roland readily acquiesced.

Later that day, as they were playing with a ball in the park, Roland commented, "I love the picture of Roni, I wanna make one too! Can I?"

A slow smile spread across Robin's face as he contemplated how to grant his godson's wish. "Of course you can, Roland. I have an idea that I think you'll love, so we'll do that the next time you're here, all right?"

"Okay!" Roland readily agreed.

Over the next few weeks, Robin did everything he could to help Roni find a job, from visiting restaurants around town to searching for jobs on various websites. Although he knew it could potentially be a valuable resource, Robin purposefully kept Roni away from the library, remembering how catastrophic it would be if Regina came face-to-face with someone who looked exactly like her.

Finally, one day they were having lunch at Granny's when Robin heard her granddaughter Ruby shout furiously, "That's it! I'm done! Don't count on me being your waitress or assistant chef ever again! I quit!"

She stormed out of the diner, slamming the door behind her. The whole restaurant fell silent, and every eye turned toward the proprietor, affectionately known as Granny.

"Well, stop staring at me so I can prepare your food in peace!" she told them all with a huff. "I'm sure you all have drama in your lives too, no need to stick your noses in mine."

Chastised, everyone in the establishment returned to their conversations.

Robin turned to Roni. "This is it."

"This is… what?" she asked, a confused expression on her face.

"This is your chance to find a job as a chef. It's always packed in here, so I'm sure Granny's desperate to find Ruby's replacement soon, and if there's anyone who can help you hone your talent for cooking, it's her. She's the best in town… that I've tried anyway," he clarified, thinking of Regina's supposedly stellar cooking that he had yet to sample. "She does know Regina though- the woman who inspired your portrait. So that may be a hurdle we'll have to jump over."

"Oh, ok," Roni said quietly, casting her eyes down to the brown wood of the table between them. "Do you really think I could? With this place being so popular, I'm sure she has the highest standards for people who work for her…"

"I'm positive," Robin affirmed, reaching to cover her hands, the fingers of which were nervously tapping on the table, with his own. "If anyone can do it, it's you."

Roni slowly nodded, turning her hands over so she could squeeze his hands in gratitude. "Wish me luck."

"I will, but you won't need it- good luck," Robin responded before she let go and walked over to Granny.

Robin watched the two women converse, hoping the discussion was going well. He hoped that in her desperation, Granny wouldn't ask Roni for references- after all, the most she needed was verification of Roni's skills in the kitchen.

Sure enough, Roni came back ten minutes later, a spring in her step. "She's going to give me a chance if she likes my cooking! So do you mind staying for a while longer, so I can show her that I'm capable?"

"Of course," Robin reassured her with a smile. "Take all the time you need to prove to her that you're the person she wants."

An hour later, Roni came back to him, her eyes shining. "I got the job!"

I knew you would, congratulations!" Robin exclaimed, standing to hug her.

As he walked toward the door, Robin was held back by Granny's hand on his arm. "One minute, Locksley."

"What?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"I know that girl is practically Regina's twin. I hired her to keep an eye on her, but make no mistake: if you hurt Regina, you'll have to answer to me."

"Understood," Robin agreed, quickly following Roni out of the diner.

A week later, Robin was on his way to pick up Roland again. This time, he had a surprise for him and a way for them to spend some of their time together.

"Hi Uncle Robin! What are we going to do this weekend?" Roland asked, excitement making his eyes shine brilliantly.

"Well, I was thinking we could go to the park- and while we're there, we can do something together, but I'm not going to tell you what it is until tomorrow."

"But I wanna know now!" Roland pouted.

Robin grinned. Despite the fact that they weren't biologically related, Roland was just like him at his age- so impatient for every good thing to come. He hadn't yet learned the lesson that Robin had: that sometimes, even better things come to those who wait.

When they got back to Robin's apartment, Roland asked, "Where's Miss Roni?"

Robin smiled. It seemed that in the short time he had known her, his godson had grown fond of his guest. He hoped the same would be true if he ever met the real Regina… which reminded him, he needed to ensure that he told the little boy not to tell Regina about Roni so she didn't shy away from him, or worse.

He knelt down to look his godson in the eye. "Miss Roni found a job at Granny's last weekend, and she's working tonight and tomorrow afternoon, so she can't play with you then. But she'll have all of tomorrow morning, night, and Sunday to play with you, all right?"

"Okay," Roland said dejectedly. His eyes brightened. "We're here now! So what's my surprise?"

Robin couldn't keep the grin off his face as he walked to his studio, the eager five-year-old following him. He led him to a little easel, where he had placed a single sheet of paper that showed a color by numbers of a queen in her regal attire. The numbers and their corresponding colors were in a box to the right of the queen.

Robin made a big show out of revealing it to Roland, saying, "Ta-da!" as he gestured toward the painting with a flourish.

Roland gasped and clapped his hands. "I love color by numbers, thank you Uncle Robin! But who is she?"

"It's Roni!" Robin explained. "I know it doesn't look much like her now, but once you color it, you'll be able to see it's her. I imagined her as a queen, because I know that she would be the kindest queen there ever was, right?"

"Right!" Roland readily agreed. "And she would make lots of treats and have lots of feasts for her people too!"

Robin couldn't help smiling at the mental picture his godson's words created, because he knew Roland couldn't be more correct. "Right! So do you want to color Roni tomorrow?"

"Yes please!" the curly-haired boy begged.

So that's what they did. The next afternoon was spent at the park happily coloring. Robin used the activity as a teaching moment as well, asking his godson, "What do you think makes a queen good?"

"Well," Roland answered thoughtfully, "She has to be really nice, and play with all the children, and help everyone. But she has to be kind of like Mama too, so when something goes wrong, she can be strong and fix it."

Thinking of Roni and Regina, Robin smiled. He couldn't have described both of them better if he tried. "Well said, my boy. Well said."

His next thought was of Regina. Did she believe she possessed all of these qualities? Or did she get caught up in what was expected of her and lose some of herself in the process? He couldn't wait to find out.


	4. Chapter 4

This chapter for Inspired by OQ 2019 was inspired by GlindaLovesShoes's maze, found here

Robin couldn't get Roland to stop talking about the color by numbers he had made of Roni. On the rare occasions when they talked on the phone before Roland fell asleep, he would ask his godfather when they would get to play with the queen again.

Meanwhile, Robin was still visiting Regina every day at the library. He saw how much she loved her patrons, especially the children, and how much she disliked her boss, Ms. Blue; so much so that at times he wondered if she feared her. But the Regina he knew would never admit to being afraid of anything or anyone, so he knew he'd just have to wait until she opened up further to discover the answer to that question.

The assistant manager, Marco, however, was a different story. Robin always heard him call her different nicknames as she cruised through the library, forever on a mission to please her boss. Often, she was the weeder as she pulled unused materials from the library's collection, other days she was the shelver when she put materials that had just been checked in back in their proper place. In those moments, she seemed so focused on her task that Robin didn't dare interrupt her, instead waiting patiently until she was done to approach the raven-haired beauty.

However, Robin's personal favorite (and surely, the favorite of anyone who observed her) was when Marco would call her the Sticker Queen. Whenever she would get out sheets of stickers, the children, well-dressed and ragged appearance alike, would flock to her, each group given two sheets of stickers to choose from. She would smile and validate each child's choice, helping them get the sticker from the larger sheet, place it where they wanted it, and send them on their way.

The best part of these interactions by far, in Robin's opinion, was not the excited chatter of the children and their joyous faces, but watching and listening to Regina herself. Her interactions with the children were the one time Robin witnessed her walls come crashing down, and the effect was like the sun coming out after an eclipse. Her face would light up with the most beautiful smile Robin had ever seen. Her voice would soften, her love for each child clearly evident in how she would gently speak to them, her tone assuring them that even if they weren't loved at home, they had a home in the library with her.

The whole scene was mesmerizing, and left Robin spellbound. Afterwards, she would sometimes come up to him, and make some witty remark, but unlike their initial interaction, in those moments he was never able to reply with a suitable comeback, instead stammering through a response. After a moment she would leave him, shaking her head at his inability to form a coherent sentence.

One day, a few days before Roland was due to visit him again, he entered the library with a spring in his step as he always did, he asked Tink, one of the people that he had discovered knew Regina best and always seemed to like that he was trying to earn her trust, where she was. He couldn't automatically spot her, and that worried him.

"Now might not be the best time, Robin," she cautioned. "Ms. Blue called her into her office, and Regina looked upset when she came out. You don't want to upset her more, do you?"

"Of course not!" Robin denied adamantly. "But if she needs a shoulder to lean on, I want to be there for her."

"And I love that you want to do that for her, just be prepared if she doesn't receive you well," Tink warned.

Robin grinned. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. She can't scare me away that easily."

Tink smiled at him warmly. "Good. Go to her. She might be in one of the conference rooms or back in our staff area. I would come with you, but you know I can't leave the reference desk for another half an hour. And Robin?"

"Yes?" he inquired, curious what her request was at such a critical moment.

"Don't let her send you away. We both know she'll try, but don't let her do it. You're one of the best things that's happened to her in a long time, let her lean on you instead of pushing you away."

"Of course," Robin said over his shoulder as he set out to look for her.

After searching every corner of the staff room (Marco assured him he could go in, while Ms. Blue glared at him as he passed her office), each conference room, and the shelves, he finally found her sitting on the floor with her arms around her knees, head tucked into her chest, in the very back corner of the adult nonfiction section.

All he wanted to do was sit on the floor with her and put his arms around her, but he didn't want to frighten her and make her feel that she had to lash out at him even more than she likely was going to, so he settled for saying her name softly to get her attention.

She glanced up. "What are you doing here? Go away, Robin. Can't you see I don't want to talk to anyone?"

Instead of respecting her wishes, Robin sat next to her, waiting for her to speak.

She glanced over at him, shaking her head. "What are you still doing here?"

"I think you know," he replied gently. "I just want to be here for you. Maybe it'll help to have someone to talk to who doesn't work here."

Defeated, she seemed to melt into the shelves, leaning her head on the shelves behind her. "Maybe you're right."

"What was that?" he teased. "Did you just say I'm right?"

"Don't get used to it," she warned. "The only reason we're having this conversation is because I'm too tired to argue with you."

"I wouldn't dream of it," he replied with a fond chuckle. "So what happened with Ms. Blue?"

"I went in for my annual evaluation," she told him. "We all had to evaluate ourselves, then compare our evaluations to hers. And…" A frustrated sigh escaped her as her head came to rest on Robin's shoulder.

"Your assessments didn't match up," he finished for her, certain she wouldn't want to finish that sentence. He tentatively put his arm around her.

She nodded, the motion sending a decadent fragrance of apples wafting up to his nose. "I work so hard, and thought I was doing so well that she'd finally give me a promotion since Marco's retiring soon, and his position is the one I want the most. People call me heartless, but I disagree. She's the heartless one.

"You are far from heartless," he quickly assured her. "Anyone who can call you heartless has clearly never seen the Sticker Queen at work. Everything about you when you're around those kids…" he paused before admitting softly, "it's stunning, in every way."

He felt her shoulders relax at his words, and her head briefly abandoned the shelter of his arms to look up at him. But instead of verbally acknowledging her appreciation, she said, "I love them. They're why I continue to work here. Otherwise I'd find a job as a school librarian and never look back."

"It shows, I promise," Robin swore. He knew that he shouldn't ask this question, but he had to know. More importantly, he had to help her realize that she was more that she made herself out to be. "Why does she think that your evaluations didn't match? I don't mean to pry or make things worse," he added hurriedly when she tensed and moved away from him upon hearing his words. "I just want to erase every lie she's put in your head so that you see your worth to your coworkers, to the children and all of your patrons- including me."

"It's none of your business," Regina said sharply, standing up to face him. "I have a lot to do, so I really need to get back to work. Have a good night, Robin."

She walked away briskly, and once he couldn't see her anymore, Robin put his head in his hands. He thought that he was doing well, earning her trust. But one false move, and her walls had shot back up as if they had been built overnight.

Then his thoughts turned from her to Roland, and he had an idea. He thought he might have a way to entertain his godson with the adventures of Roni and comfort Regina at the same time. All he needed was some paper and something to draw with…

A few days later, Robin picked up Roland from school as he always did when they spent time together.

He had told his godson that he had a surprise for him on the phone the night before. So of course, the first words out of Roland's mouth were, "I want to know what my surprise is! Please?!"

Robin smiled conspiratorily and shook his head. "I can't yet, Roland. We have to get home and have dinner first, all right?"

"Okay," Roland agreed dejectedly.

Unlike the previous weekend that Roland had joined them, Roni was able to join them for less of the time that Roland was there. She had insisted on cooking spaghetti and meatballs, Roland's favorite, for his first night with them, and wouldn't take no for an answer when Robin had told her that they usually had pizza and other unhealthy foods when his godson visited.

Robin had finally acquiesced under the condition that he helped Roni in the kitchen- he knew cooking and cleaning up the mess afterward were time-consuming tasks. In the end, he and Roland watched a cartoon while Roni did the dishes, and while Robin felt guilty about it, he had to admit that the time with the kindergartener was something he wouldn't trade for anything, so he was grateful that Roni had allowed him to have the opportunity to have more quality time with his favorite child.

"Uncle Robin, can I see the surprise now?" Roland pleaded.

Robin smiled. Someday, he would have to come up with a way to gently suggest to his friends that they needed to teach Roland to have patience. For now, he decided to indulge his godson's eagerness.

He led him to his studio, to the same small easel that had previously held the color by numbers he had created of Roni for Roland. In its place was a maze for Roland to work his way through with a pencil, with Robin and Roni, dressed as explorers, at the edge of the maze and a castle at its center.

"I LOVE IT!" Roland yelled, his eyes wide with excitement. He frowned. "But that might not take long, what else are we going to do?"

"Turn it over," Robin instructed.

Roland followed his instructions, and when he did, he found a larger version of the castle that Robin intended for him to color. He had created two copies of the maze, one for his godson and one for Regina, to encourage her, and he hoped that the maze would give her hope that she could find her place in the world, and that he wanted to help her get there. But the castle he had created for his godson alone.

"When are we going to do it, Uncle Robin?" Roland asked eagerly.

He knelt to look his godson in the eye. "I was thinking we could do this in the courtyard of the library tomorrow."

"Yes!" Roland readily agreed.

"If we do," Robin cautioned, not breaking eye contact with the boy, "We have to be careful. The lady who inspired me to create Roni works at the library, and we can't tell her about Roni, because it would scare her. All right?"

"Okay- but why would it scare her?" Roland asked.

Robin paused for a moment, unsure of exactly how to explain an adult's thinking to his young godson. Finally, he decided that a lesson in empathy was the best approach. "How would you feel if you suddenly found out that you had a twin that Papa and Mama hadn't told you about?" 

"Happy!" Roland exclaimed. "I'd like having another friend to play with!"

Robin laughed and shook his head. Of course the child's logic would present the situation in that way. "Well, I know that Ms. Regina, the lady who looks just like Ms. Roni, would just be scared. It's not every day that someone finds out that someone looks just like them, and aren't even their sibling, but something created by someone else. So we need to not tell Ms. Regina about Ms. Roni, all right? She likes being alone because she doesn't make friends easily, and I've worked really hard to earn her trust and might finally be getting somewhere- so I really don't think that telling Ms. Regina about Ms. Roni is a good idea, all right?"

"Okay Uncle Robin," Roland agreed.

Once they were at the library the next day, Robin immediately started looking for Regina to give her the copy of the maze that he had made for her.

They finally found her with Henry in the children's section. Roland's face lit up. "Uncle Robin, look! I can make a new friend!"

"Indeed, you can," Robin confirmed, lamenting the fact that he hadn't made three copies of the maze. But if he had to guess, Regina would likely give the maze to her son anyway, so his worries were unnecessary.

Roland, being the outgoing boy Marian had raised him to be, walked straight up to Henry and asked, "Hi, I'm Roland. What's your name?"

"Henry," the older boy responded.

"My uncle and I have a gift for your mama," Roland blurted out brightly.

"You do?" Regina inquired, her eyebrows raising. "Your uncle's told you about me?"

"Yup!" was the cheery answer the child gave. Robin knelt down and told Roland, "Why don't you go out to the courtyard with Henry and show him the different colors you brought to color the castle?"

"Okay!" the oblivious Roland agreed as he took Henry's hand and the two of them walked quickly toward the doors of the courtyard a few feet away.

Once they were out of earshot, Robin held out the maze, hoping that the distraction would deter any further questioning Regina wanted to subject him to.

"What's this?" she asked with a puzzled frown.

"Do you remember the other day?" was his hesitant response. He didn't like reminding her of a time she was vulnerable because he knew she wouldn't appreciate it, but he knew that just this once, it was the right thing to do.

She frowned, and her eyes narrowed. "Of course. What does," she looked down at the sheet of paper now held in her hands, "a maze have to do with that?"

"It's symbolic," Robin explained. "It's supposed to encourage you that even though you might think it's difficult at times, you can find a place you belong, a place where you're happy." He hesitated before adding, "And if you'll let me, I'll gladly do anything I can to help you find it."

"That's…" Regina's voice trailed off as she continued to stare down at the maze in her hand, and Robin held his breath, waiting for her verdict. Would she be angry with him for reminding him of that day, or would she thank him for trying to help in this small, seemingly insignificant way? "I don't appreciate being reminded of this incident-"

"I know, and I'm sorry, but-" Robin began, only to have Regina cut him off.

"I don't appreciate it, but I think I do see what you were trying to do, and it's… surprisingly sweet, actually."

"What was that?" Robin teased, grinning down at her smaller frame.

"You heard me, don't make me say it again." Regina warned. "Now, let's go rejoin the boys, shall we?"

He nodded, and together they walked out to the courtyard, where the boys were happily sorting through the different colors in Roland's crayon box, hoping to find the perfect colors for the maze and castle.

As Robin listened, he could tell that they were disagreeing on what colors to use. Looking toward Regina, he could tell that she knew the children were in disagreement as well, and from the look on her face, he thought he knew what she was about to do.

Sure enough, she held out the maze Robin had given her to Henry. "Here, Henry, you can color this one for me. That way, you don't have to agree on what colors to use, you both can each create your own masterpieces."

"But Mom, what about you?" Henry asked. "He made it just for you, don't you want it?"

Regina smiled. "I do, but it's not complete yet. You know I'm terrible at doing mazes, and you're the best pathfinder I know. So I'm positive that you can help me do that maze. And when you do, it'll go on the fridge so we can share it."

"Okay!" Henry acquiesced.

For the rest of the afternoon, Robin and Regina watched Henry and Roland laugh and chat as they completed the maze. For a moment, Robin looked at the scene and knew that a casual passerby would assume they were a family- and he suspected that this fascinating woman would challenge him every day, but that a relationship with her, a life with her, would be worth it.

Another pair of brown eyes came to his mind's eye, and he was jolted back to reality as an important question put an immediate halt to his daydream…

What about Roni?


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you all for your reviews and sorry this update took so long! I've rewritten the story a little so it makes more sense, so I'd start from the beginning. The book mentioned in this chapter is ****_Dora's Mystery of the Missing Shoes _****by Cristina Ricci.**

Robin's revelation on the day he gave Regina the maze ran through his mind constantly over the next few days. He couldn't possibly have feelings for either Regina or Roni. After all, Roni had once been a figment of his imagination and Regina would have to open up to him more for him to truly know her.

To that end, he decided that his next step was to spend time with each of the women in a setting where he would get to know both of them better. The question was: what would that ideal setting be?

For Roni, the solution seemed simple. Because he lived with her, he knew her well already, so he had no shortage of ideas for ways to spend time with her. He knew that she loved to cook, so he asked her one day if she would like to go to a cooking class. While she was already a skilled chef (she did work at Granny's, after all), Robin knew that there were always new recipes and techniques to learn. And he was sure that he could benefit from the classes as well. He cooked out of necessity, so the quantity of recipes that he was able to follow easily was not as numerous as it could be.

Regina, however, would be more of a challenge. He finally discovered an idea one day as he was talking to Marco, who was both the assistant manager and the library's children's librarian.

As he entered the library that day, Marco directed him to the circulation desk, where a flyer was taped to the countertop. Brightly colored pictures and large, bold letters advertised the library's next storytime. "You should bring your boy to this. Normally, I do them, but Regina will be the librarian leading this one because we are starting to do regular bilingual storytimes."

Robin couldn't help smiling, both at the idea that Marco thought Roland was his son and knowing how much hosting a storytime likely meant to his favorite librarian. "That sounds wonderful. I'll look into seeing if I can have him with me that day."

He looked at the date. It was late in the afternoon on a Thursday, but doing the math, he knew that Marian and John would typically be working that day, so Roland would be in just getting out of school and to daycare at that time. He would have to make sure he didn't work as well, so he would have to talk to both his boss and Roland's parents to convince them to let him take his godson for the afternoon. He didn't imagine that Marian would approve of the idea of him using Roland for this purpose, though. He could only imagine the look of irritation on her face, the flash of fury in her eyes. He would have to tread carefully in order to bring Roland, because while he could attend the storytime on his own, it would be much more comfortable for everyone involved if he had his godson with him. If he used the fact that it was a bilingual storytime, Marian may be more willing to allow him to have her son for the event. She was always looking for ways for her son to experience a part of his native culture. While she was Belizean, she also had Guatemalan ancestors.

He nodded, confident in his plan. "I'll talk to his mother, but I'll do my best to be there."

"Excellent!" Marco replied with a knowing smile. He patted him on the back and went about his day.

When Robin got home, he called Marian. "I have a proposition for you."

"Oh no," she groaned. "I know you, Robin. Any conversation that starts that way doesn't necessarily mean something good. What exactly are you planning?"

Knowing that he had to begin with the part of the plan that would appeal most to his friend, Robin informed her, "There's a bilingual storytime at the library this Thursday. I was wondering if you might let me pick Roland up from school that day so I can take him."

He could practically see her raised eyebrows. Her tone was brisk as she asked him, "You know I trust you, Robin, but what's the catch? You've never wanted to pick him up from school in the middle of the week before. And besides, don't you have work?"

"I'm a freelance writer, I can work whenever I want to," he reminded her. "Besides, I'm going to call Gold next anyway. He may want me to write about it."

She laughed, asking skeptically, "And you really think he'll view this in a favorable light? From everything you've ever told me about him, I highly doubt that, Robin."

"I'm a freelance writer," Robin reminded her. "I only write stories for the paper every so often. Besides, If I do an article for the event, they can use it in the paper. It's unique, so Gold's bound to want an article on it."

She sighed. "Yes, but Robin… just be careful. I don't want you using my son as a way to get to this girl, and I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate it either, if she knew about it. Make sure you spend some time alone with her at some point too."

Properly chastised, Robin nodded, even though he knew his friend wouldn't see it. "I know, and I will, I promise. But this seemed too perfect, so I wanted to seize the opportunity."

"All right- again, just make sure this doesn't become a habit," Marian warned.

"I won't," Robin promised. He knew that she was right, that he needed to get to know Regina without using any external influences, but he wanted to see her in an environment that would likely bring out her best qualities, and showing up to a children's event without a younger friend in tow would be strange- no, more than that: pathetic.

The question was: how would she react to them being there? And would the experience really bring them closer together? He couldn't wait to find out.

The next call he made was to Gold. Gold had never been Robin's favorite person, and he was fairly certain that the feeling was mutual. However, the editor would acknowledge that he was a good writer, and when Robin told him about the bilingual storytime, he asked him to write an article about it for the paper, just as Robin suspected.

The day of the bilingual storytime had arrived. Robin picked up Roland from school as planned, and the two of them headed to the library.

When Robin told Roland where they were going, his eyes lit up. "We're going to see Miss Gina?"

Robin couldn't help grinning. He loved that his godson seemed as enamored with both incarnations of Regina as he was. "Yes, we are. But remember, we can't tell her about Miss Roni, or she might not like us anymore, and we wouldn't get to see her again."

"Okay!" Roland readily agreed. "What story is she going to read, Uncle Robin?"

"I don't know," he told his godson. "We'll just have to wait and find out."

When they got to the library, several parents and guardians were already there with their children. As Regina greeted each patron, Robin once again noticed the difference between her interactions with the children and adults. She was polite around the adults, yes, but it was nothing compared to her interactions with the younger members of her audience. She greeted every one of them by name, including Roland, who happily greeted her with "Hi, Gina!"

"Hi, sweetheart," she responded, bending her knees so she was at his eye level. Glancing up at Robin, she asked Roland, "Did your Uncle Robin bring you to listen to a story today?"

"Yes! I can't wait, Gina!"

"Me either," she assured him before standing and turning to greet a family that had entered the children's area after them.

Once everyone entered, the storytime began. First, Regina sang a song with the children, telling them the words and then singing it with them twice before she began the story.

Robin knew that the library's collection of bilingual books (and books in languages other than English in general) was small, but Regina had managed to find the perfect book, in Robin's opinion. It was a Dora the Explorer book, and although he noticed that it was written entirely in English, Robin saw pictures for each word that his favorite librarian translated into Spanish, and he had to remember to commend her for her selection afterwards.

As Regina was about to turn the page, Robin heard a stone-cold voice behind him. "What _exactly_ do you think you're doing, Miss Mills? Let Marco finish the storytime, and come with me."

Robin turned, and sure enough, there was Ms. Blue, standing at the back of the crowd with Marco running up behind her. Rage rose within him. How dare she? Not only was she interrupting storytime, but she was doing so in a way that he was sure would humiliate Regina and in the process, not be good for the library's reputation if she did it in front of patrons. He supposed that was why she had asked Marco to take over, but in Robin's opinion, the damage had already been done.

It seemed that Marco agreed with him. He reasoned with the manager in a calm, quiet voice, "Afina, let her finish. She'll have plenty of time for other things afterward. And in the meantime, you're upsetting the children."

Looking around him, Robin hated to see that Marco was right. The library's youngest patrons all had frowns on their faces and one or two of them were starting to cry, including Roland.

"Uncle Robin, that lady's being mean to Gina," he whispered through his sniffles, and Robin had to agree.

"She is, but it'll be okay, you'll see," Robin reassured him, praying that he was telling his godson the truth.

The library's manager seemed to have noticed the same thing that Robin had, and it seemed that one of the few things that could move her were the tears of the children. "Very well. But the minute this is over, you need to go straight back to work. Is that understood?" she asked, her eyes daggers when she turned to Robin's favorite librarian.

Regina nodded, and at last, the woman that always seemed to be the true villain of the story in Robin's opinion walked away, leaving destruction in her wake that he was determined to help Regina fix until it was nothing more than a bad memory. Parents were still soothing their children, the children themselves wiping tears from their eyes.

Robin watched as Regina collected herself and cleared her throat. She clapped five times to get the children's attention, and they all turned to her, echoing her claps with the same rhythm. Robin supposed that Marco must use an identical method for restoring order. "Sorry about that, friends," she apologized. "Let's get back to our story now. Let's take a vote for whether we should start the story over again or not. Raise your hand if you want to start over. Make sure you vote so I know what you think."

Several children, more than half the room if Robin had to guess, raised their hands. Once Regina had counted the number of children who wanted to restart the story, she told them, "Now raise your hand if you want to start reading where we left off. Remember that you can only vote once, so if you already voted to start over, put your hand down please."

Again a few children, less than half of those assembled, raised their hands, and Regina's next words confirmed what Robin already knew. "All right, that settles it. We'll start the story from the beginning."

She opened the book to the first page and began reading. Like the children around him, Robin was lost in the story, Regina's voice a soothing balm for the chaos that Ms. Blue's interruption had caused. She led them on Dora's quest through the cave and across the pond to the field where they found the missing shoes. At the end of the story, the adults started clapping, reminding the children that as her audience, it was polite for them to clap for Regina as well. The applause (which was well-deserved, in Robin's opinion) made her smile. She led the children in another song, and then the storytime was over.

As parents took their children by the hand and prepared to leave, Robin told Roland, "Why don't you go play while I talk to Miss Regina for a minute?"

"Why can't I talk to her too, Uncle Robin?" his godson asked.

"It's a grown up conversation, you'd think it was really boring, I promise," Robin assured him. "Playing in the igloo sounds like much more fun, don't you think?" he asked, pointing him toward an igloo made of milk jugs that was situated in the far corner of the children's area.

An adorable little frown was his godson's only answer before he finally conceded. "Okay. As long as we talk to Miss Gina before we leave."

"Of course," Robin assured him. "We have to tell her how much you enjoyed storytime, don't we?"

"Yeah!" Roland nodded emphatically.

Grinning, Robin assured him, "Then we will, I promise, but first, I need to talk to her alone."

Roland nodded and scampered off to play with pillows and blankets, leaving Robin to focus his attention on Regina. She was saying goodbye to the last of the attendees, Marco by her side. As Robin approached, he heard him mutter, "Are you all right, Regina?"

"Of course," she answered quickly, the words leaving her so fast that Robin didn't believe her- and judging by the look on his face, Marco didn't either. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I just know that she's hard on you," the children's librarian acknowledged. "And I do what I can to stop her, but I don't know if I was entirely successful. You've been looking forward to this, I know you have, and I want to make sure it was all you wanted it to be."

She nodded. "It was, with the one obvious exception."

"Well," Marco suggested with a sly grin, his eyes directly on Robin, who was standing just behind Regina. "I may know someone who is perfectly willing to erase any bad memories of how she interrupted your storytime. Right, Robin?"

He nodded as Regina spun to face him. "Of course. Whatever you need, anytime."

"Why do you always have to be here when everything goes horribly wrong?" she demanded. It was clear that her walls were up. He would be getting nowhere with his relationship with her today if her tone and crossed arms were any indication of her current mood.

He shrugged in answer to her question. "I don't know. I'm glad I am, though. Regina, I don't know why she doesn't want you to do children's events, but-"

"_Any _events," she corrected bitterly. "She never wants me to do anything, and the reason why is a mystery. I've worked so hard for who knows how long, and she never gives me an opportunity to plan any programs or anything else that would indicate that I've been here for so long and can do much more than she'll ever give me credit for."

Robin looked in Marco's direction to see if he could shed any light on why the manager ran the library the way she did, but he was nowhere to be found. He was left alone with Regina, and while he was sure that the older manager and children's librarian had disappeared on purpose to give them time alone, he couldn't help but feel frustrated by the gesture at this particular moment. How was he supposed to handle this? What could he possibly say to make Regina feel better?

"Who does she like most?" he asked. "Maybe you could ask them to vouch for you."

"Mal," she responded bitterly. "And she's as much of a dragon as Ms. Blue- maybe even more so."

Robin grimaced. Would she never have allies who held power within her work? "Maybe you could try to befriend her?"

She snickered. "I can tell you haven't met her. Mal is… let's just say the dragon moniker suits her well. We're all lucky she doesn't char us to a crisp on a daily basis."

"Are you sure that she's the only one who can char coworkers to a crisp?" Robin asked, smirking. "Seems to me there's someone else who has that fiery spirit as well- and she's standing right in front of me."

"Flatterer," she muttered, and he couldn't help chuckling. Only she would see that as a compliment.

"I see nothing wrong with saying it as long as it's to your face and it's the truth," he unashamedly told her.

Her eyebrows rose. "And what, pray tell, do you say about me when I'm not around? How can you even have anything to say about me to anyone else in the first place?"

"Rest assured, I have plenty to say. I can tell them how strong you are, how you light up whenever there are children around. In addition to those things, now I can tell them that you run storytime better than anyone I know."

"Have you even watched any of Marco's storytimes?" she asked skeptically, one eyebrow raised.

"Well, no," Robin admitted. "But you're a mother, so I'm sure raising Henry has given you lots of practice."

"Marco has a son as well," she informed him- and it was only then that Robin remembered hearing about Marco's young son August.

"True," he acknowledged. "But there's less of an age difference between you and Henry than there is between Marco and August. Besides, don't tell Marco I said this, but you're younger, so you'd be able to relate to that age more even if you didn't have a son."

She chuckled at that, covering her mouth to stifle the sound. "Oh, I'm definitely telling him you said that. We'll see how much he likes you then."

"Do your worst, Ms. Mills," he replied, smirking. "I'm confident that Marco, good-natured gentleman that he is, will have no problem with that."

Her only response was to shake her head and walk away. On impulse, he reached out and grabbed her hand. "Wait."

"What is it now, Robin?" she sighed, her exhaustion from the day's events evident in her tone. "I have things to do, you know that. I can't just sit here and listen to your pathetic attempts at flirting all day long."

"I'm not doing this for me, I promise," Robin swore, holding up his hand in a gesture of surrender. "Roland wants to say goodbye to you before we go."

She sighed. "I can't keep Ms. Blue waiting any longer. Play with him for awhile or read to him and I'll come back later."

Robin nodded, and with that, she was gone. He walked over to Roland, who was, unsurprisingly, playing in the area's toy kitchen. It made Robin smile because he thought he knew what his godson was doing. "Are you cooking just like Roni? I thought you wanted to play in the igloo?"

"I already did, Uncle Robin!" the kindergartener informed him matter-of-factly. "Now I own a restaurant just like the one Roni works in!"

"Do you?" Robin asked with a smirk. "Might I ask what your best dish is?"

"Pizza and ice cream and lasagna!" Roland exclaimed excitedly.

Robin grinned. Pizza and ice cream didn't surprise him in the slightest, but lasagna was new. Although he had a sneaking suspicion how that meal had been added to the menu, and to confirm that he was right, he asked Roland, "Is lasagna something your restaurant makes because it's one of Roni and Regina's favorites?"

His godson nodded eagerly. "Uh huh! If Miss Gina and Miss Roni like it, it must be yummy!"

"Oh, and Miss Roni and Miss Regina know more about food than me, do they?" Robin teased, even though he knew what he had just said was the truth.

"Of course, Uncle Robin!" Roland informed him. "Roni even works at a restaurant!"

"True," Robin acknowledged. "What's your favorite thing Roni makes?"

"Hmm…" Roland pondered, his little eyebrows furrowed as he thought. "I like everything!"

"Me too," Robin chuckled. "Although I don't like-" He stopped as he saw Roland running over to Regina.

She seemed more tired than five minutes earlier, but that didn't stop her from holding her arms out to Roland as he leapt into her arms. "Did you enjoy storytime, Roland?" she asked, her eyes full of apprehension. Robin made a mental note to expel every trace of self-doubt going through her mind. She was truly stunning, and he didn't know how others didn't see it.

"Yeah!" his godson replied with enthusiasm. "Come see the pizza I made, Gina!"

As she went to follow him, Robin put a hand on her elbow. "How'd it go?" he whispered. He wanted to check on her, but didn't want Roland to overhear their conversation if it didn't go well (which he suspected would be the case).

As he knew they would, her shoulders sagged, a clear precursor to what her answer would be. "As well as you'd expect. I've been banned from doing programs for the foreseeable future."

"Did she give you a valid reason why?" he asked quietly, his temper rising. He had never gotten to the bottom of the mystery why the director disliked Regina so much, but he had a sneaking suspicion that even if he did, he wouldn't understand it.

"A reason? Yes. A valid one? No, of course not," Regina scoffed. "What made you think she'd do a reasonable thing like that? I thought you knew her better than that by now."

"I do," Robin admitted. "But I was hoping that I would be wrong just this once. She may be the manager, but as a human being, she had no right to be so rude to you."

"Yes, she did," Regina muttered. "As I'm constantly being told, it's her library, so she makes the rules."

"Maybe, but she's still a person just like the rest of us, so she should show empathy and compassion."

Regina threw her hands up in the air. "What exactly am I supposed to do? It's not like we have our own way to evaluate her, it only ever happens the other way around."

"Hmm," Robin mused. *That's actually a good idea. You could have patrons fill out customer service surveys. Maybe then, Ms. Blue will be forced to change her ways."

"It won't work," Regina stated doubtfully. "She's always on her best behavior for patrons."

"It's still worth a shot, I think," Robin encouraged. "You never know, someone might have picked up on something like I did."

"No one's as observant as you, and I'm guessing that that was only because of me, she pointed out. "Am I wrong?"

"Well, no..." he admitted reluctantly. "But the children noticed today, you know they did. Poor Roland was crying, and other children were too."

Her expression was soft as she contemplated his godson. "He likes me as much as you do, though, so that's not surprising at all."

Roland chose that moment to come running up to them. "Come on, Gina!" You promised you would play with me!"

"I did, didn't I?" she murmured, smiling brightly down at the child before them. "Let's go then! What are we going to bake?"

Robin followed them to the kitchen set, his thoughts spinning as he watched Regina and Roland set up their own restaurant. By the time they left, he had a fully formed plan to ensure that the customer service survey wouldn't fail. All he would need was a few friends to help him...

**Thanks for reading, please let me know what you think!**


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